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<h2> LETTER XI </h2>
<h3> LONDON, July 20, O. S. 1747 </h3>
<p>DEAR BOY: In your Mamma's letter, which goes here inclosed, you will find
one from my sister, to thank you for the Arquebusade water which you sent
her; and which she takes very kindly. She would not show me her letter to
you; but told me that it contained good wishes and good advice; and, as I
know she will show your letter in answer to hers, I send you here inclosed
the draught of the letter which I would have you write to her. I hope you
will not be offended at my offering you my assistance upon this occasion;
because, I presume, that as yet, you are not much used to write to ladies.
'A propos' of letter-writing, the best models that you can form yourself
upon are, Cicero, Cardinal d'Ossat, Madame Sevigne, and Comte Bussy
Rebutin. Cicero's Epistles to Atticus, and to his familiar friends, are
the best examples that you can imitate, in the friendly and the familiar
style. The simplicity and the clearness of Cardinal d'Ossat's letters show
how letters of business ought to be written; no affected turns, no
attempts at wit, obscure or perplex his matter; which is always plainly
and clearly stated, as business always should be. For gay and amusing
letters, for 'enjouement and badinage,' there are none that equal Comte
Bussy's and Madame Sevigne's. They are so natural, that they seem to be
the extempore conversations of two people of wit, rather, than letters
which are commonly studied, though they ought not to be so. I would advise
you to let that book be one in your itinerant library; it will both amuse
and inform you.</p>
<p>I have not time to add any more now; so good night.</p>
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<h2> LETTER XII </h2>
<h3> LONDON, July 30, O. S. 1747 </h3>
<p>DEAR BOY: It is now four posts since I have received any letter, either
from you or from Mr. Harte. I impute this to the rapidity of your travels
through Switzerland; which I suppose are by this time finished.</p>
<p>You will have found by my late letters, both to you and Mr. Harte, that
you are to be at Leipsig by next Michaelmas; where you will be lodged in
the house of Professor Mascow, and boarded in the neighborhood of it, with
some young men of fashion. The professor will read you lectures upon
'Grotius de Jure Belli et Pacis,' the 'Institutes of Justinian' and the
'Jus Publicum Imperii;' which I expect that you shall not only hear, but
attend to, and retain. I also expect that you make yourself perfectly
master of the German language; which you may very soon do there, if you
please. I give you fair warning, that at Leipsig I shall have an hundred
invisible spies about you; and shall be exactly informed of everything
that you do, and of almost everything that you say. I hope that, in
consequence of those minute informations, I may be able to say of you,
what Velleius Paterculus says of Scipio; that in his whole life, 'nihil
non laudandum aut dixit, aut fecit, aut sensit.' There is a great deal of
good company in Leipsig, which I would have you frequent in the evenings,
when the studies of the day are over. There is likewise a kind of court
kept there, by a Duchess Dowager of Courland; at which you should get
introduced. The King of Poland and his Court go likewise to the fair at
Leipsig twice a year; and I shall write to Sir Charles Williams, the
king's minister there, to have you presented, and introduced into good
company. But I must remind you, at the same time, that it will be to a
very little purpose for you to frequent good company, if you do not
conform to, and learn their manners; if you are not attentive to please,
and well bred, with the easiness of a man of fashion. As you must attend
to your manners, so you must not neglect your person; but take care to be
very clean, well dressed, and genteel; to have no disagreeable attitudes,
nor awkward tricks; which many people use themselves to, and then cannot
leave them off. Do you take care to keep your teeth very clean, by washing
them constantly every morning, and after every meal? This is very
necessary, both to preserve your teeth a great while, and to save you a
great deal of pain. Mine have plagued me long, and are now falling out,
merely from want of care when I was your age. Do you dress well, and not
too well? Do you consider your air and manner of presenting yourself
enough, and not too much? Neither negligent nor stiff? All these things
deserve a degree of care, a second-rate attention; they give an additional
lustre to real merit. My Lord Bacon says, that a pleasing figure is a
perpetual letter of recommendation. It is certainly an agreeable
forerunner of merit, and smoothes the way for it.</p>
<p>Remember that I shall see you at Hanover next summer, and shall expect
perfection; which if I do not meet with, or at least something very near
it, you and I shall, not be very well together. I shall dissect and
analyze you with a microscope; so that I shall discover the least speck or
blemish. This is fair warning; therefore take your measures accordingly.
Yours.</p>
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<h2> LETTER XIII </h2>
<h3> LONDON, August 21, O. S. 1747. </h3>
<p>DEAR BOY: I reckon that this letter has but a bare chance of finding you
at Lausanne; but I was resolved to risk it, as it is the last that I shall
write to you till you are settled at Leipsig. I sent you by the last post,
under cover to Mr. Harte, a letter of recommendation to one of the first
people at Munich; which you will take care to present to him in the
politest manner; he will certainly have you presented to the electoral
family; and I hope you will go through that ceremony with great respect,
good breeding, and ease. As this is the first court that ever you will
have been at, take care to inform yourself if there be any particular,
customs or forms to be observed, that you may not commit any mistake. At
Vienna men always make courtesies, instead of bows, to the emperor; in
France nobody bows at all to the king, nor kisses his hand; but in Spain
and England, bows are made, and hands are kissed. Thus every court has
some peculiarity or other, of which those who go to them ought previously
to inform themselves, to avoid blunders and awkwardnesses.</p>
<p>I have not time to say any more now, than to wish you good journey to
Leipsig; and great attention, both there and in going there. Adieu.</p>
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